APSC Assistant Geologist Syllabus 2026 and Exam Pattern

APSC Updated: 03 Sep 2026

Syllabus

The APSC Assistant Geologist screening test is two multiple-choice papers of 2 hours and 100 marks each — Paper-I General Studies with 100 objective questions, and Paper-II Geology, whose syllabus is split into 11 groups lettered GROUP-A to GROUP-K. The PDF states no negative marking.

Download Official Syllabus PDF

The PDF opens on the official site. Every topic in it is explained in plain language below — you do not have to open the PDF to read the syllabus.

Compiled from the official syllabus · check it against the official link

A screening test of two papers, 100 marks each ↑

This page carries the whole of the syllabus the Assam Public Service Commission published for the post of Assistant Geologist in the Directorate of Geology and Mining, Assam, under the Mines and Minerals Department. The document is issued as two memos of the same date — No.7PSC/CON/Exam-07/2026-2027 for Paper-I and No.8PSC/CON/Exam-07/2026-2027 for Paper-II, both dated Guwahati the 17 July 2026, and signed by the Principal Controller of Examinations.

The official file is apsc.nic.in › Syllabus_Asstt_Geologist_04_2026.pdf, and it is also listed on the Commission's own syllabus archive page. Everything below is restated from that file in our own words; nothing here is copied from any coaching material, and nothing is added that the document does not say.

Both papers are objective and both are worth the same. That symmetry matters when you plan: a geology graduate who ignores general studies is throwing away exactly half the test.

Paper	Subject	Question type	Time	Marks	Number of questions
Paper - I	General Studies	Multiple Choice Questions	2 hours	100	100 objective type questions (stated in the PDF for this paper only)
Paper - II	Geology	Multiple Choice Questions	2 hours	100	Not stated. The PDF gives no question count for Paper-II.

Paper I, General Studies — all 7 topics the PDF lists ↑

The Paper-I table has one column of serial numbers and one column headed ITEM/ TOPICS. Seven rows carry a topic. The table is printed with rows numbered 8 and 9 as well, and both are blank and struck through by hand on the signed copy — so the syllabus is seven items, not nine.

Three of the seven name Assam explicitly. That is the single most useful thing to notice about this paper: it is not a generic national general-studies list.

SL. NO.	ITEM/ TOPICS (as printed)	What that means in practice
1.	Constitution and Political System of India	Indian polity at the level a state PSC prelims asks it — Parliament, the state legislature, fundamental rights and duties, and the constitutional bodies.
2.	Current events of National & International Importance	The only entry with no fixed reading list. One newspaper daily, plus a monthly compilation for the last twelve months before the exam, is the standard method.
3.	Indian Economy and Planning Process of India	Basic economics plus the planning story — Five Year Plans, NITI Aayog, budget and banking basics.
4.	Geography of India, Assam & World	Assam is named between India and the World, so state geography is expected in its own right — rivers, districts, physiography and the Brahmaputra valley.
5.	Role of Science & Technology in India	Applications and national programmes rather than laboratory theory — space, nuclear, biotechnology and IT missions.
6.	Culture & History of Assam, India & World	The same India-Assam-World pattern again. Ahom history, Assamese culture and the state's festivals sit alongside the standard Indian history syllabus.
7.	Indian National Movement with special reference to Assam	The freedom struggle with the Assam chapter added — read the national movement first, then the state's own leaders and events inside it.

Paper II, Geology — the 11 groups at a glance ↑

Paper-II is written as eleven lettered groups, GROUP-A through GROUP-K, each with its own subject heading and then running paragraphs of topics. The document does not divide the 100 marks between the groups, and it does not say how many questions come from each — so treat the eleven as equal until an actual paper says otherwise.

The right-hand column below is our own count, not the Commission's. We split each group's paragraphs into the entries its own bold lead-ins mark, so that nothing can be skimmed past. Every one of those entries is reproduced further down this page.

Read the group list once before you start. Several groups quietly overlap — remote sensing appears in GROUP-C and again in GROUP-I, meteorites in GROUP-F and GROUP-I, statistics in GROUP-F and flood frequency again in GROUP-K — and planning around those overlaps saves real weeks.

Group	Subject as printed	Topic entries (our count)
GROUP-A	Structural Geology and Seismology	12
GROUP-B	Mineralogy, Crystal Chemistry & Thermodynamics in Geology	10
GROUP-C	Geoinformatics, Geomorphology & Quaternary Geology	11
GROUP-D	Hydrogeology Climatology & Oceanography	12
GROUP-E	Igneous Petrology Metamorphic Petrology	10
GROUP-F	Geochemistry and Isotope Geology & Engineering Geology	13
GROUP-G	Economic Geology	9
GROUP-H	Sedimentology, and Surveying & Mapping	9
GROUP-I	Stratigraphy & Geodynamics	15
GROUP-J	Palaeontology & Fuel Geology	14
GROUP-K	Fluvial System & Environmental Geology	8

At a glance

Conducting Body	Assam Public Service Commission (APSC)
Department	Directorate of Geology and Mining, Assam (Mines and Minerals Department)
Official Website	apsc.nic.in
State	Assam

GROUP-A: Structural Geology and Seismology — all 12 entries ↑

The paper opens with structure and closes it with earthquakes, which is the right order for a state where the two are the same subject. Twelve entries; the thrust entry alone is longer than some whole groups elsewhere in this syllabus.

Sub-subject	What the official syllabus lists	How to approach it
Structural Geology	Stress and Strain — definition of stress; types of stress (hydrostatic, uniaxial, compressional, tensional, triaxial, deviatoric, differential and effective stress); sign convention of shear stress; Mohr stress circle; determination of direction of shearing stress.	The entry that every later structure topic rests on. Learn to draw and read the Mohr circle by hand — most questions here are one construction away from the answer.
Structural Geology	Definition of strain — types of strain; principal axes of strain; measurement of strain; Flinn's diagram and Fry's methods of strain measurement; other strain markers.	Two named methods appear by name — Flinn's diagram and Fry's method — so learn what each one plots and what shape of answer it gives.
Structural Geology	Ductile deformation — morphological classifications of fold following Ramsay (1964) and Fleuty (1964); kinematics of folding; buckle folds and shear folds; determination of sense of shear from fold geometry; superposition of folds; boudinage: origin and its relationship to fold.	Two classifications are named with their years, which usually means the paper expects the classification itself, not a general description of folds.
Structural Geology	Brittle deformation — faults, classification of faults, mechanism of faulting; normal faulting: extensional, synthetic, antithetic, horst and graben, half graben, relay fault, duplex, detachment fault, ramp and flat geometry; fault nucleation and propagation; geometry of fault propagation.	A long list of named geometries. Sketch each one once; a labelled section drawing is far easier to recall in the hall than a definition.
Structural Geology	Thrust — allochthonous, autochthonous, klippe, windows, overthrust, under thrust, nappe, decollement, blind thrust, splay, ramp and flat geometry; thrust related folds; listric thrust, duplex, schuppen structure, imbricate structure, thrust duplex, en echelon thrust; foreland, hinterland; sinistral-dextral geometry — palm tree, tulip, negative flower and positive flower structures.	The single longest entry in this group. Assam sits beside a thrust belt, so treat this as high-yield rather than exotic.
Structural Geology	Strike slip fault — tear fault, transcurrent fault, transfer fault and their characteristic features; mechanism of faulting with reference to stress and strain.	Short entry, and it closes the loop back to the first one — the mechanism is asked in terms of stress and strain.
Structural Geology	Foliation and lineation in deformed rocks — morphological classification; geometric relationship of foliation and lineation with folds; interference patterns of lineations; relation of foliations and lineations to strain directions.	Field-facing topic. Expect questions that give you an orientation and ask what it implies about the strain.
Structural Geology	Shear zone — ductile, brittle and brittle-ductile shear zone; characteristic features of sheared rocks; strain variation within the shear zone; mylonite; determination of shear sense.	Mylonite and shear-sense indicators are the two things worth being able to identify from a photograph.
Structural Geology	Rheology — rheological equations and importance of temperature in rheology; geomagnetism; thermal history of the Earth.	An odd mix: two of the three items are not structural geology at all. Do not skip geomagnetism because it looks out of place here.
Structural Geology	Graphical interpretation of structures — symmetry of structures; graphic representation of spherical and stereographical plots, rose diagram and histogram; introductory ideas on softwares used in structural geology.	Stereonet reading is a skill, not a fact — practise plotting until it is quick, and note that the syllabus asks for software awareness too.
Seismology	Seismology — introductory terminology and basic principles; crustal phases; travel time and magnitude of earthquake; earthquake as natural hazard — prediction and seismic hazard management, seismic gap; seismic waves, Snell's law, travel time curve, velocity model, b-value; focal depth, earthquake-fault relation in tectonic domain; M, Mb, Ms, Mw, MM scale; peaked ground acceleration (PGA) and peaked ground velocity (PGV), focal plane solution, Benioff zone.	The magnitude scales are named individually, so know what each one measures and where each saturates. Assam is in Seismic Zone V territory, which is why this group exists at all.
Seismology	Palaeoseismology — concept of paleoseismology and its importance; active faults; identification of seismogenic active faults; paleoseismological structures; identification of paleoseismic deformational features and structures from syn-sedimentary and other deformational structures; use of dating techniques for paleoseismic features and their reliability; materials suitable for dating; interpretation of dates; use of historical and archaeological data in paleoseismic data interpretation.	The whole entry is about telling a genuine palaeo-earthquake record from a look-alike sedimentary structure, and about how far a date can be trusted.

GROUP-B: Mineralogy, Crystal Chemistry & Thermodynamics in Geology — all 10 entries ↑

Ten entries in two halves — five on minerals and five on thermodynamics. The thermodynamics half is written at physical-chemistry level and is the more scoring of the two for most candidates.

Sub-subject	What the official syllabus lists	How to approach it
Mineralogy	Chemical composition and compositional variation of minerals; solid solution; compositional classification of minerals; detailed classification and structural features of silicate minerals.	Silicate structural classification is the backbone of the whole group — get the tetrahedral linkage families right first.
Mineralogy	Principles of X-ray crystallography; mineral identification by X-ray diffractometry; impact of X-ray crystallography; crystal structure: CCP and HCP packing; defect in minerals: point defects, line defects and planar defects.	Two separate things here — an instrument technique and a structural-packing topic. Both are commonly asked as one-line factual questions.
Mineralogy	Ionic crystal, ionic radii, coordination number, Pauling rule; bonding in crystals: ionic, covalent and metallic bonding.	Pauling's rules are named, so they will be asked as rules. Radius ratio to coordination number is the calculation to be ready for.
Mineralogy	Transformation process in minerals: exsolution; example of transition phase in mineral exsolution.	The shortest entry in the group, and it is the set-up for the next one — read the two together.
Mineralogy	Structural transformation: polymorphism — classification, structural inversion, solid solution behaviour and exsolution in rock forming silicate minerals with the examples of feldspar, olivine, pyroxene, amphibole, garnet and mica; their optical behaviour and importance as rock forming minerals.	Six mineral families are named. Their optical properties are asked here, so keep the optical mineralogy table for exactly these six ready.
Thermodynamics	Forms of energy, transformation and conservation of energy, global energy budget; geologic process and energy flow; state properties; direction of changes in state.	The conceptual opener. If state property versus path function is clear here, the rest of the thermodynamics entries become bookkeeping.
Thermodynamics	Fundamental thermodynamic equation; First Law of Thermodynamics; work done in volume expansion; Second and Third Law of Thermodynamics.	All three laws are listed. Standard physical-chemistry treatment is enough — this is not asked at research depth.
Thermodynamics	Chemical potential, Gibbs Free Energy function; enthalpy, entropy and activity; free energy change as a function of activity; variation of enthalpy, entropy and Gibbs Free Energy with temperature and pressure; Clausius-Clapeyron equation.	The Clausius-Clapeyron equation is the one formula in this group you should be able to write and apply without hesitating.
Thermodynamics	Compositional dependence of Gibbs Free Energy and Gibbs-Duhem equation.	A one-line entry that carries a real derivation. Do not judge its weight by its length.
Thermodynamics	Mixing components, Raoults Law and Henrys Law, standard state and activity, ideal and non ideal solution behaviour and equilibrium constant.	Two named laws again. Where each applies — solvent versus dilute solute — is the usual question.

GROUP-C: Geoinformatics, Geomorphology & Quaternary Geology — all 11 entries ↑

Eleven entries. The first six are remote sensing and GIS, the last five are Quaternary geology, and the Brahmaputra plains are named in the final one — the clearest Assam-specific pointer in this group.

Sub-subject	What the official syllabus lists	How to approach it
Geoinformatics	Spectral response curve; sensors; resolution properties of sensors; resolution properties of Indian remote sensing satellites and sensors; elements of photo and image interpretation; remote sensing and geology.	Indian satellites are called out by name in the syllabus, so the IRS series and its sensor resolutions are worth learning as a table.
Geoinformatics	Stereoscopy and vertical exaggeration; basic elements of photogrammetric measurements of aerial photographs / digital stereo image; digital photogrammetry: concept of digital elevation model (DEM) and digital terrain model (DTM) and their uses; advantages of digital photogrammetry over traditional optical photogrammetry; orthophoto.	DEM versus DTM is a definition question that is asked far more often than it deserves. Learn the difference exactly.
Geoinformatics	Thermal remote sensing; thermal properties of materials; characteristics of thermal images; thermal image processing and interpretation; concept of LiDER remote sensing.	The document spells it LiDER; the technique everyone else calls LiDAR is what is meant. Learn it under the standard name.
Geoinformatics	Microwave remote sensing; SLAR system; spatial resolution of SLAR systems; Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR); microwave remote sensing satellites; microwave image characteristics; processing of microwave digital data; geologic interpretation of radar image.	SAR matters in the Northeast because cloud cover defeats optical imagery for much of the year — a good reason this entry is here.
Geoinformatics	Image processing methods: image restoration, image enhancement, false colour composite (FCC), ratio images, multispectral classification — supervised and unsupervised, change detection images, accuracy assessment; concept of hyperspectral data and their importance.	Supervised versus unsupervised classification, and what accuracy assessment actually measures, are the two reliable questions here.
Geoinformatics	Introduction to GIS and its components; vector and raster data; georeferencing; planning needed to develop a GIS based project in earth science; analysis of spatial and attribute data in GIS platform.	Note the wording — the syllabus asks about planning a GIS project, not just about GIS theory. Expect an application-flavoured question.
Geomorphology & Quaternary Geology	The Quaternary Period and its divisions; Neogene-Quaternary and Pleistocene-Holocene boundary; the Anthropocene; Quaternary dating methods — cosmogenic radionuclides C14, Be10, Al26, luminescence chronology, dendrochronology (principles, applications and limitations); low temperature thermochronology and exhumation/denudation history.	Three dating families are named. For each, learn its usable age range and what material it needs — that pairing is what gets asked.
Geomorphology & Quaternary Geology	Quaternary climate and tectonics — the ice age, Milankovitch theory, glacial-interglacial cycles, LGM, Little Ice Age, Quaternary sea level changes, uplift-climate connection, climate proxies and Quaternary paleoclimate, 87Sr/86Sr as proxy for silicate weathering, duricrusts calcrete, fericrete, alcrete and spleothems, application of stable isotopes in Quaternary climate.	Milankovitch cycles and the strontium-ratio proxy are the two named mechanisms; the rest of the entry is vocabulary that supports them.
Geomorphology & Quaternary Geology	Quaternary geomorphology — the earth as a system, energy flow in the geomorphic system, spatial and temporal scales of landscape analysis, role of structure, tectonics and climate in landform development, neotectonics and active tectonics and landscape response.	A concepts entry rather than a facts entry. The examinable core is the structure-tectonics-climate trio behind every landform.
Geomorphology & Quaternary Geology	Quaternary stratigraphy — oxygen isotope stratigraphy, magnetic stratigraphy (principles and application in Quaternary sequences, Indian examples), pedostratigraphy, soil profile and paleosol, Quaternary records from marine and continental settings, event stratigraphy.	Indian examples are asked for by name in the magnetic-stratigraphy item, so carry at least two worked Indian sections in your notes.
Geomorphology & Quaternary Geology	Quaternary sedimentary records from India — Himalayan foreland, Son-Narmada valley, Gangetic plains, coastal plains, Brahmaputra plains and other parts of NE India.	Six named regions, and the Brahmaputra plains are one of them. For an Assam post this is the most predictable entry in the group.

GROUP-D: Hydrogeology Climatology & Oceanography — all 12 entries ↑

Twelve entries, nine of them hydrogeology. This is the largest single applied block in Paper-II and the one closest to what a state geology directorate actually does day to day.

Sub-subject	What the official syllabus lists	How to approach it
Hydrogeology	Definition of hydrology and hydrogeology; hydrologic cycle — precipitation and run-off; analysis of hydrograph, base flow separation, factors governing shape of hydrograph.	Base flow separation is a method, not a definition. Be able to describe how it is actually done on a hydrograph.
Hydrogeology	Occurrence of ground water: openings in rocks, types of openings; porosity and void ratio; definition of aquifers, aquiclude, aquitard and aquifuge; subsurface distribution of water, vadose water and ground water; specific yield and retention; estimation of specific yield; aquifers and their classification; ground water recharging.	The four -clude/-tard/-fuge terms are the classic one-mark trap. Learn them as a contrast set, never one at a time.
Hydrogeology	Ground water movement: Darcy's law — its range of validity and limitation; hydraulic conductivity, permeability, effective stress, specific storage, transmissivity and storativity; physical and chemical characteristics of ground water; chemical classification of ground water; quality criteria for drinking, irrigation and industrial uses.	Darcy's law is asked with its limits, not just its statement. The quality-criteria half is factual and easy to score.
Hydrogeology	Occurrence of ground water in different rock types: igneous, metamorphic, sedimentary and nonindurated sediments; ground water provinces of India.	The India provinces item is map-based. Learn the provinces with their rock types attached, not as a bare list of names.
Hydrogeology	Ground water levels and fluctuations — secular, seasonal and diurnal variation; factors governing ground water level fluctuation; fresh and salt water relationship in coastal area; Ghyben-Herzberg principle; prevention and control of sea water intrusion.	The Ghyben-Herzberg principle carries a simple ratio you should be able to state and use.
Hydrogeology	Basic principles of well hydraulics — drawdown and cone of depression; steady state and non-steady state flow; equation for pumping tests; step drawdown test and aquifer performance test; analysis of pumping test data.	The most numerical entry in the group. Practise reading a pumping-test curve rather than only memorising the equations.
Hydrogeology	Surface and subsurface investigation of ground water: hydrogeological mapping; systematic and reappraisal survey by well inventory method; geophysical methods of exploration — gravity, magnetic, electrical and seismic methods; S.P., resistivity, gamma and neutron gamma logging; ground water exploration by test drilling.	This is the entry closest to the actual job. Resistivity is the workhorse method for groundwater and gets asked most.
Hydrogeology	Methods of construction of shallow wells; methods of drilling, design criteria and development of deep tube wells.	Practical and short. Know the drilling methods by name and which formation each suits.
Hydrogeology	Ground water assessment, development and management: concept of ground water reserve — static and dynamic reserve; safe yield and overdraft; factors governing safe yield; equation of hydrologic equilibrium; ground water budgeting.	Safe yield versus overdraft is a policy-flavoured definition pair and appears often in state PSC papers.
Climatology & Oceanography	Definition of climate; composition of atmosphere; vertical and horizontal distribution of temperature; insolation; clouds — their formation and classification; precipitation — causes, forms, processes and types; atmospheric pressure and air circulation; factors affecting wind direction and speed; upper-level waves and jet streams; the Monsoons.	This overlaps heavily with the Paper-I geography topic. Prepare it once and it pays in both papers.
Climatology & Oceanography	Weather disturbances: properties of air masses, extratropical cyclone, fronts, anticyclones, tropical weather, thunderstorms, tornadoes and waterspouts; climates dominated by equatorial and tropical air masses.	Fronts and air masses are the part most candidates skim and most papers ask.
Climatology & Oceanography	Classification of oceans and seas; general features of ocean floor; sea waves, tides, ocean currents; giant deep ocean circulations; physical properties of sea water.	The smallest sub-topic in Paper II, and entirely factual — do not lose these marks.

GROUP-E: Igneous Petrology Metamorphic Petrology — all 10 entries ↑

Ten entries, five igneous and five metamorphic. The Sylhet Trap is named alongside the Deccan Trap, which is the kind of local detail a national textbook will not give you.

Sub-subject	What the official syllabus lists	How to approach it
Igneous Petrology	Magma, their generation in the crust and mantle: present day magmatism and global tectonic processes; magmatic process — concept and models (batch melting and Rayleigh fractionation); quantitative approach to partial melting, fractional crystallization and source characterization.	Two models are named with their equations behind them. Batch melting and Rayleigh fractionation are worth doing numerically once.
Igneous Petrology	Geochemical characteristics of igneous rocks: chemical analyses, major, trace and isotopic composition of igneous rocks in the context of petrogenesis; compatible and incompatible elements; geochemical criteria for the identification of palaeo-tectonic settings of igneous rocks.	Discrimination diagrams are the practical form of this entry — know which element pairs separate which tectonic setting.
Igneous Petrology	Phase equilibria study in igneous system: binary, ternary and quaternary silicate system with reference to petrogenesis; role of volatile H2O and CO2 in petrogenesis.	Phase diagrams have to be read, not remembered. Work through the standard binary and ternary systems with a pencil.
Igneous Petrology	IUGS classification schemes of igneous rocks; plume magmatism and hot spots; concepts of mantle metasomatism.	IUGS classification means the QAPF diagram. That single diagram answers a surprising share of igneous questions.
Igneous Petrology	Petrology and petrogenesis of major igneous rock types: ultramafic rocks (komatiite, kimberlite), alkaline rocks, ophiolites, carbonatites, flood basalts (Deccan Trap, Sylhet Trap), anorthosites, granitoids and layered igneous rocks.	The Sylhet Trap is named alongside the Deccan Trap — a Northeast-specific inclusion that a generic textbook will not stress.
Metamorphic Petrology	Regional orogenic metamorphic textures: tectonites, foliation, lineation; mechanism of tectonic development; analyses of poly-deformed and poly-metamorphic rocks; other regional metamorphic textures; replacement textures and reaction rim and their role in reconstructing P-T-t history of metamorphism.	P-T-t history appears here for the first time and returns twice more in this group. Treat it as the spine of metamorphic petrology.
Metamorphic Petrology	Sources of plate tectonic metamorphic heat for crustal metamorphism; geothermal gradient; crustal thickening processes and P-T-t path of metamorphism.	Short, conceptual, and the direct link between plate tectonics and metamorphism — the reason the two are taught together.
Metamorphic Petrology	Mineral assemblages and their graphical representation: ACF, AKF and AFM and compositional phase diagrams; chemical equilibrium in metamorphism; solid-solid reaction; continuous and discontinuous metamorphic reaction.	Three named diagrams. Know which components each one uses and which rock composition each suits.
Metamorphic Petrology	Cation exchange partitioning relationship among coexisting phases; application of geothermometry and geobarometry; and petrogenetic grid.	Geothermometry and geobarometry are the quantitative end of the group — expect the principle to be asked, not the calibration constants.
Metamorphic Petrology	Regional metamorphism of pelitic and basic metamorphic assemblages; metamorphic reaction involved during regional metamorphism.	Pelitic assemblages are the standard exam vehicle because the index minerals are so well ordered — learn that sequence cold.

GROUP-F: Geochemistry and Isotope Geology & Engineering Geology — all 13 entries ↑

Thirteen entries, the largest group in the paper. It runs geochemistry, then four entries of statistics, then engineering geology — three quite different subjects under one heading, so budget time for each separately.

Sub-subject	What the official syllabus lists	How to approach it
Geochemistry and Isotope Geology	Origin, abundance, classification and distribution of elements: chemical differentiation of earth; crust and mantle as a geochemical system (composition of the crust, composition of mantle, interaction between crust and mantle); ocean and atmosphere as a geochemical system (composition of ocean, composition of atmosphere, evolution of sea water and air, the rise of oxygen); geochemical cycle.	The rise of oxygen is named explicitly — the Great Oxidation Event is fair game and is often asked as a dated fact.
Geochemistry and Isotope Geology	Principles and application of analytical instruments in geochemistry and isotope studies; meteorites — classification, composition and origin; type and composition of Martian and Lunar meteorites.	Instruments and meteorites in one entry. The meteorite classification returns in Group I, so learn it once for both.
Geochemistry and Isotope Geology	Stability and abundance of radionuclides; decay mechanism; decay and growth rate of radiogenic decay; decay series.	The physics half of isotope geology. The decay equation and half-life arithmetic must be automatic.
Geochemistry and Isotope Geology	Radiogenic isotopes: radiogenic isotopes in geochronology (Rb-Sr, Sm-Nd, K-Ar, U-Th-Pb method of age dating); extinct radionuclides in geochronological studies; Promordial 87Sr 86Sr ratios; isotopic evolution of Sr and Nd in the Earth.	Four dating systems are named. For each, know the parent-daughter pair and which mineral or rock it is used on.
Geochemistry and Isotope Geology	Stable isotopes: stable isotopes of O, C and S; control, application and fractionation of stable isotopes; oxygen isotope thermometry; distribution of sulphur isotopes in nature.	Oxygen isotope thermometry connects back to the Quaternary climate entry in Group C — the same tool, a different use.
Geochemistry and Isotope Geology	Application of Statistics in Geology — binomial and normal distributions; standardization of normal distribution; joint distribution.	Statistics starts here and runs for four entries. It is the most scoring block in this group for anyone who did maths at degree level.
Geochemistry and Isotope Geology	Correlation and regression; variance and covariance; standard and probable error of correlation coefficient.	Straightforward statistics. Be able to compute a correlation coefficient by hand from a small table.
Geochemistry and Isotope Geology	Sampling distributions: estimators; sampling distribution of mean; confidence limits; Student t-distribution; test of significance; setting up a hypothesis, null and alternative hypothesis; z-test, t-test, F-test, Chi-square test.	Four named tests. The reliable question is which test applies to which kind of data, not the arithmetic.
Geochemistry and Isotope Geology	Factor and principal component analysis; Gumbel and Log-Pearson distributions — their applications in flood frequency analysis.	Flood frequency analysis reappears in Group K's Flood entry. In Assam that overlap is not an accident.
Engineering Geology	Soil: engineering properties of soil; definition of unit weight, specific gravity, porosity and void ratio, water content, degree of saturation; elementary knowledge of compressibility, consolidation, compaction and shear strength; importance of clay mineralogy, Atterberg units and soil classification; soil and engineering structures.	The syllabus says Atterberg units; the standard term is Atterberg limits. Same thing — learn liquid limit, plastic limit and shrinkage limit.
Engineering Geology	Rocks: strength of rocks, hardness, elasticity, porosity, specific gravity; rock masses — discontinuity in rock masses, weathering of rock masses, rock mass deformation; engineering classification of rocks; classification of rock masses in the field according to R.Q.D. (rock quality designation), Bieniswaki and Q-system; quarrying with special reference to rock blasting; rock as construction materials; improvement of rock mass properties — grouting, bolting and anchoring.	R.Q.D. and the Q-system are calculable, so they are the likeliest numerical questions in this whole group.
Engineering Geology	Dams and Reservoirs: classification and parts of dams; geological and geophysical investigation of dam sites; foundation and abutment problems; forces acting on them; seepage, bearing strength and rebound problem; treatment of weak zones — grouting; investigation of reservoir area; control of leakage and silting.	Dam-site geology is close to the actual job in a state with major river valley projects — read it as practice, not theory.
Engineering Geology	Geotechnical investigation for tunnel construction: general geotechnical consideration for site locations; geology of the area; importance of structural discontinuities on tunnel and bridge alignment; groundwater conditions; rock stress condition; methods of tunnel excavation.	This closes the loop with Group A — structural discontinuities are exactly the faults and foliations you learned there.

GROUP-G: Economic Geology — all 9 entries ↑

Nine entries under one subject heading, printed with the sub-line Genesis and Indian deposits, Exploration and mining. The Indian-deposits half is pure memorisation and the most reliably scoring block in Paper-II.

Sub-subject	What the official syllabus lists	How to approach it
Economic Geology — Genesis	Genesis: morphology of ore bodies; textural and structural features of ores; chemical composition of ore; classification of ore deposits; metallogeny and its relation to crustal evolution.	The vocabulary entry that everything else in the group is written in. Get ore-deposit classification straight before anything else.
Economic Geology — Genesis	Genesis of ore deposits: magmatic, hydrothermal, metasomatic, pegmatitic, submarine exhalation and volcanogenic.	Six processes, and each has a signature deposit type. Learn them as process-to-example pairs.
Economic Geology — Genesis	Sedimentary type ore deposits: chemical sedimentary and detrital sedimentary ore deposits; stratabound and stratiform deposits; evaporates; metamorphic type ore deposits.	Stratabound versus stratiform is the definition pair most often confused, and it is easy marks once the distinction is fixed.
Economic Geology — Genesis	Organic matter in ore; fluid inclusion in ore; geothermometry, geobarometry and dating of ore deposits; metallogeny of Archaean greenstone belts and Proterozoic mobile belts.	Fluid inclusion study is the practical technique here, and it is the one that connects economic geology to the thermodynamics of Group B.
Economic Geology — Genesis	Structural and chemical control of ore deposits; plate tectonic and global ore localization; ore mineralization through geological time.	This is the entry that explains why deposits sit where they sit — a favourite for reasoning-type questions.
Economic Geology — Indian deposits	Metallic mineral deposits of India, their distribution, mode of occurrence, mineralogy and genesis: iron, manganese, chromium, copper, lead and zinc, gold, silver, aluminium, nickel and molybdenum.	Ten metals, each with a state-wise distribution. Build one table of metal, ore mineral and leading states and revise only that.
Economic Geology — Indian deposits	Non-metallic mineral deposits: diamond, limestone and dolomite, magnesite, phosphates, asbestoses, gemstone, refractory minerals; clay mineral deposits of Northeast India; critical and essential minerals.	Two items here are current-affairs adjacent — critical minerals, and the Northeast clay deposits. Both are recent policy topics.
Economic Geology — Indian deposits	Radioactive minerals: uranium, thorium — their distribution, mode of occurrence, mineralogy and genesis; uranium mineralization in north eastern part of India; rare earth minerals.	Uranium mineralisation in the Northeast is named specifically. For this post, that sentence is a strong hint.
Exploration and mining	Exploration and mining: methods of mineral prospecting and exploration; classification of mineral reserve; different methods of surface and subsurface mining for metallic and non metallic minerals; mining of coal; alluvial mining.	The job-facing entry of the group. Reserve classification is definitional and always worth learning exactly.

GROUP-H: Sedimentology, and Surveying & Mapping — all 9 entries ↑

Nine entries: six of sedimentology and three of surveying and mapping. The surveying half is the practical skill the post is actually hired for.

Sub-subject	What the official syllabus lists	How to approach it
Sedimentology	Texture of sedimentary rocks — textural elements: size, roundness, sphericity, fabric, form and surface textures, and their measurement; statistical treatment and interpretation of grain-size analysis data.	Grain-size statistics links straight back to the statistics entries in Group F. Practise reading a cumulative curve.
Sedimentology	Structures of sedimentary rock — genesis and significance of sedimentary structures; paleocurrent analysis.	Palaeocurrent analysis gives directions, so expect a rose-diagram question — the same tool you met in Group A.
Sedimentology	Sedimentary environments — classification of sedimentary environments; physical and chemical parameters of depositional environments; lithofacies assemblages from fluvial, deltaic, lacustrine, marine, glacial and arid environment.	Six environments are named. Learn one diagnostic lithofacies for each and you can answer most environment questions.
Sedimentology	Genetic classification of sedimentary rocks; clastics (sandstone and shale), mineralogy of the clastic sediments; diagenesis and lithification; sedimentology of clay; provenance determination using heavy minerals, quartz, feldspars and rock fragments.	Provenance from heavy minerals is a classic descriptive answer — know which heavy mineral points to which source rock.
Sedimentology	Origin, mineralogy, classification (Dunham and Folk) of limestone; diagenesis and neomorphism of carbonate rocks; sedimentary basins: classification of sedimentary basins; sedimentation and tectonics (tectonic control of sedimentation, plate tectonics and sediment accumulations).	Two named limestone classifications, Dunham and Folk. Both are short and both are asked.
Sedimentology	Sedimentation as a geochemical process; physico-chemical factors in sedimentation; Eh-pH diagrams; geochemistry of natural water; geochemical analysis of sediments and their graphical plots to decipher their chemical maturity, weathering index of the source rocks, determination of provenance and tectonic settings; classification of sediments.	Eh-pH diagrams are read, not memorised. Know what each field means and why iron behaves the way it does across them.
Surveying and Mapping	Maps — types and basic elements; projection system; datum and datum transformation; digital mapping techniques; GPS/GNSS and mapping.	Datum transformation is the item most candidates skip. It is short and it is exactly the sort of thing a one-mark question loves.
Surveying and Mapping	Surveying: basic principles, types and procedures of field survey; closed loop and open traverse; principles of theodolite, dumpy level and total station survey; RL transfer.	Instrument-based and practical. RL transfer is a small calculation that is easy to get right and easy to lose.
Surveying and Mapping	Geologic surveying: definition and scope; study of outcrops; use of compass and clinometers; base maps — locating field data on base map, geologic traverses, detail and reconnaissance mapping; geological field mapping in sedimentary and hard rock terrain.	This is the day-to-day work of an Assistant Geologist. If you have done field mapping, this entry is free marks.

GROUP-I: Stratigraphy & Geodynamics — all 15 entries ↑

Fifteen entries, the second largest group. Stratigraphy runs from principles through Indian stratigraphy to a dedicated North-East India section, and then geodynamics carries it into planetary geology.

Sub-subject	What the official syllabus lists	How to approach it
Principles of Stratigraphy	Stratigraphy and its relation with sedimentation; components of stratigraphy; geological disposition of the Indian stratigraphic sequences; geological history of India; geological time scale; stratigraphic units — International and Indian stratigraphic codes.	The geological time scale has to be reproducible from memory. Everything else in this group hangs off it.
Principles of Stratigraphy	Principles and methods of correlation of stratigraphic units; stratigraphic relationships vertical and lateral; concepts of sequence stratigraphy, magnetostratigraphy and seismo-stratigraphy.	Three modern stratigraphies are named. Sequence stratigraphy in particular is asked as a concept, not as a case study.
Principles of Stratigraphy	Sedimentary facies — facies concept; lateral and vertical facies variation; facies modeling; palaeogeographic reconstruction.	Walther's law is the unstated backbone of this entry — know it even though the syllabus does not name it.
Indian Stratigraphy	Precambrian formations of India: Dharwar Province, Eastern Ghats Province, Central Indian Province, Singhbhum-Orissa Province and Aravalli-Bundelkhand Province; Archaean-Proterozoic boundary.	Five provinces, named. A map with the five marked, plus one signature rock unit each, covers most of what is asked.
Indian Stratigraphy	Proterozoic formations of Indian Peninsula: Cuddapah Supergroup, Vindhyan Supergroup, Kurnool Group.	Three named units only. This is one of the shortest entries in Paper II and one of the easiest to finish.
Indian Stratigraphy	Palaeozoic formations of India; Himalayan Palaeozoics; marine Palaeozoics in Peninsular India; Precambrian-Cambrian boundary.	The Precambrian-Cambrian boundary is a boundary question — what changes across it, and how it is recognised.
Indian Stratigraphy	Mesozoic formations of India; Triassic of Spiti and Himalayan range; Jurrasic of Kutch region; Cretaceous of Peninsular India; Deccan Traps and associated infra, inter and intra-trappean beds.	The trappean beds are the detail that separates a prepared answer from a vague one. Learn what each of the three contains.
Indian Stratigraphy	Gondwana Sequence of India: basin configuration, sedimentation and palaeoclimates; Gondwana deposits of Peninsular India; marine intercalations.	Gondwana coal is India's main coal source, so this entry also serves the coal topics in Group J.
Stratigraphy of North-East India	Precambrians and all igneous activities of Shillong Plateau and Arunachal Himalayas.	A single sentence, but it is about the ground this post actually works on. Treat it as a full topic, not a line.
Stratigraphy of North-East India	Gondwana and Paleozoic stratigraphy in the Northeastern region of India; Cretaceous deposits of the Northeast India; Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary; Sylhet traps and other Mesozoic intrusives of the Northeast India; Cenozoic stratigraphy of Assam-Arakan region.	The Assam-Arakan basin is India's oldest oil province. This entry and the petroleum entries in Group J are the same story told twice.
Geodynamics	Continents, Oceans and Mountains; development of theories from geosynclines to plate tectonics; sea-floor spreading, island arc, mid-oceanic ridge, emplacement of ophiolites; earthquake and seismic belts of the world; measurements of plate dynamics.	The history of the idea is asked as well as the idea itself — geosyncline theory is in the syllabus for that reason.
Geodynamics	Broad overview of tectonic settings of India; evolution of the Himalayas and Himalayan tectonics; Indo-Myanmar mobile belt.	The Indo-Myanmar mobile belt is what makes Assam seismically active. For this post it is the single most relevant tectonic item.
Geodynamics	Introduction and history of planetary geology: universe; introduction to solar system — origin and age of the solar system; formation of the Sun and the planets.	Planetary geology begins here and runs for three entries. It is general-knowledge depth, not astrophysics.
Geodynamics	Cosmic dust; asteroidal parent body; morphology and classification of meteorites; primitive meteorites — ordinary chondrites and carbonaceous chondrites; differentiated meteorites — achondrites, lunar meteorites and Martian meteorites, iron and stony-iron meteorites.	Meteorite classification appeared already in Group F. Learning it once covers both places.
Geodynamics	Planetary remote sensing: planetary topography and surface study; surface, atmospheric, mineral and chemical composition study; thermal remote sensing for planets; gravity, gamma and X-ray spectroscopy.	Remote sensing returns here, applied to planets. If Group C is solid, this entry costs almost no extra time.

GROUP-J: Palaeontology & Fuel Geology — all 14 entries ↑

Fourteen entries in three blocks — palaeontology, then coal, then petroleum. Assam is India's oldest oil province, and this group and GROUP-I's Assam-Arakan entry are two views of the same ground.

Sub-subject	What the official syllabus lists	How to approach it
Palaeontology	Micropalaeontology — definition, types of microfossils and their importance; nannofossils and their importance in geology; trace fossils and their classification.	Micropalaeontology is the part of this subject that industry actually uses, which is why it opens the group.
Palaeontology	Foraminifers — their morphology and evolution, geological distribution and their applications in palaeoecology, correlation, biostratigraphy and hydrocarbon exploration; conodonts, ostracods and radiolaria — morphology, stratigraphic distribution and application.	Four microfossil groups, and hydrocarbon exploration is named as the application. That link to the petroleum entries is deliberate.
Palaeontology	Vertebrate palaeontology — evolution of man, equidae and proboscidae in the context of palaeoclimate and palaeoecology; changing pattern of dentition during evolution of the above vertebrates.	Three lineages, and the dentition pattern is asked specifically. Horse-tooth evolution is the standard diagram to know.
Palaeontology	Palynology and its stratigraphic and palaeoclimatic significance; study of pollens and spores, diatoms, dianoflagellate; palynological organic matters.	Palynology is a Quaternary-climate tool as well, so this entry and the Group C climate entry reinforce each other.
Palaeontology	Detail account of Gondwana flora in the World and in the Indian context, in the context of palaeoclimate and palaeoecology.	Glossopteris is the name to have ready — it is the classic evidence for continental drift as well.
Fuel Geology — Coal	Origin of coal: evolutionary development of flora; climatic, paleogeographic and tectonic requirements for origin of peat swamps; sedimentation of coal and coal bearing sequence; geological features of coal seams; age and geographical distribution of coal; diagenesis of peat and coalification; physical and chemical changes of coal associated with progressing coalification; causes of coalification.	Coalification is the thread through the whole coal block — peat to lignite to bituminous to anthracite, and what changes at each step.
Fuel Geology — Coal	Coal sampling and analysis: coal sampling; coal analysis, chemical properties of coal; proximate analysis and ultimate analysis; physical properties of coal; trace elements in coal; coal classification.	Proximate versus ultimate analysis is the definition pair here — what each one measures is the question.
Fuel Geology — Coal	Petrography of coal: macroscopic description of coal; microscopic description of coal; macerals — classification, properties, origin and application; microlithotypes.	Macerals are the microscopic constituents of coal. Vitrinite, liptinite and inertinite are the three names to fix first.
Fuel Geology — Coal	Coal utilization and coal as alternative energy source: combustion, gasification, carbonization and coke; gas in coal, underground coal gasification, coal as liquid fuel, coal as an oil prone source rock; coal and environment.	Underground coal gasification and coal-bed methane are policy-adjacent topics — worth reading a current-affairs note on as well.
Fuel Geology — Coal	Geology of Indian coal deposits: geological and geographical distribution of Indian coal deposits; geology of coal deposits of Northeast India.	Northeast India coal is named separately. Assam's tertiary coal differs from Gondwana coal, and that contrast is the likely question.
Fuel Geology — Petroleum	Nature and origin of petroleum: basic components of petroleum; physical properties of oil; origin of petroleum, theories of organic and inorganic origin; migration of hydrocarbon — primary and secondary; trapping mechanisms for oil and gas; reservoir properties: porosity, permeability (absolute, effective and relative), fluid saturation, relative permeability and fluid saturation.	Trap types are the diagram question. Structural, stratigraphic and combination traps should all be sketchable.
Fuel Geology — Petroleum	Reservoir rocks: sandstone reservoir, carbonate reservoir, fractured reservoirs; petrophysical studies of reservoir rocks; pressure condition in reservoirs — reservoir pressures, normal and abnormal formation pressure.	Abnormal formation pressure is a drilling-safety topic as much as a geology one, and it is asked as a cause-and-effect question.
Fuel Geology — Petroleum	Oil well drilling and drilling fluids: parameters, usefulness, types — vertical, deviated and horizontal drilling; duties of well site geologists; well logging: basics of well logging; different well logs — SP, GR, resistivity log, neutron log, density logs, sonic log, conventional electric log; resistivity and water saturation.	Seven logs are named individually. For each, know what physical property it responds to — that is the whole of the usual question.
Fuel Geology — Petroleum	Exploration of hydrocarbon: geological, geochemical and geophysical exploration; geophysical exploration of hydrocarbon — seismic survey, gravimetric survey, geological interpretation of seismic data; petroliferous basins of India; oil and gas fields of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Tripura, Mizoram, Cambay basins, Bombay Off-shore and Krishna-Godaveri basins.	Five Northeast states are named before any other basin. For an Assam Assistant Geologist paper, this is as pointed as a syllabus gets.

GROUP-K: Fluvial System & Environmental Geology — all 8 entries ↑

Eight entries, the smallest group, and the most local. Flood in Assam is written into the syllabus by name, and the Brahmaputra runs through the fluvial half of it.

Sub-subject	What the official syllabus lists	How to approach it
Fluvial System	Fluvial processes: evolution of drainage basin; drainage patterns and their significance; hydraulic geometry; classification of fluvial systems; the processes of erosion, transportation and deposition; stream power, competence and capacity; base level control; structural and active tectonic control on rivers.	Competence versus capacity is the small definition pair that decides a mark. Learn the difference precisely.
Fluvial System	Fluvial landforms: the form-process relationship; erosional and depositional landforms; evolution of floodplains and their types; alluvial terraces; alluvial fan and delta; concept of peneplain and fluvial cycle of erosion.	Landform recognition from a description or sketch is the usual format here, so learn each landform with its picture.
Fluvial System	Fluvial depositional environments and sedimentation; depositional models; lithofacies and lithofacies assemblages; genesis of facies; architectural element analysis in facies.	Architectural element analysis is the advanced item in this group, and it is the one a general textbook will not cover well.
Fluvial System	Fluvial landforms in NE India; records of Phanerozoic fluvial sequences; economic potential of fluvial depositional systems.	The Brahmaputra is the world's classic braided river. Expect it by name, and know why it braids.
Environmental Geology	Definition: fundamental concepts and scope of environmental geology; pollution and hazards due to mining activities; pollution due to radioactive mineral mining.	Mining pollution is where this group meets Group G. The regulatory angle is worth a current-affairs read.
Environmental Geology	Landslides: causal factors; impact of landslides on environment; landslide hazard zonation; preventive measures; soil erosion.	Hazard zonation is a method with named factors. In a hill state it is also close to the actual job.
Environmental Geology	Flood: definition, causes, flood in fluvial systems, flood management, structural and non structural methods of flood management, dams and flood, method of flood frequency analysis, flood in Assam.	Flood in Assam is written into the syllabus by name. If one entry in this group is certain to be asked, it is this one.
Environmental Geology	Water pollution: sources of pollution of surface and ground water; water pollution parameters; types of water pollution; causal factors; case studies; parameters of potable water as per Indian and WHO's standards.	Indian and WHO drinking-water standards are named. The exact permissible limits are the kind of detail this entry invites.

Which numbers are the Commission's, and which are ours ↑

Only four numbers on this page come from the document itself: 2 hours and 100 marks for each paper, and 100 objective type questions for Paper-I. Everything else numeric below is arithmetic or a count that we did, and it is listed here so you never mistake ours for theirs.

If a coaching site tells you the marks-per-group breakup, or the number of questions in Paper-II, ask it where that came from. This document does not contain either figure.

Number	Where it comes from
4	2 hours for Paper-I plus 2 hours for Paper-II. The PDF gives each paper's duration separately.
10	Our count of entries in GROUP-B and GROUP-E. Not stated in the PDF.
11	Count of the GROUP headings in Paper-II, GROUP-A to GROUP-K. The PDF letters them but never states how many there are.
12	Our count of entries in GROUP-A, and in GROUP-D. Not stated in the PDF.
13	Our count of entries in GROUP-F; also the number of pages in the PDF file.
14	Our count of entries in GROUP-J. Not stated in the PDF.
15	Our count of entries in GROUP-I. Not stated in the PDF.
123	Our count of the topic entries we split Paper-II into. The PDF is written as running paragraphs under each group and states no entry count.
130	Our 123 Paper-II entries plus the 7 filled rows of the Paper-I table.
200	100 marks for Paper-I plus 100 marks for Paper-II. The PDF prints the two figures separately and never adds them.
250	The resolution in dots per inch at which we rendered the scanned pages before reading them. A fact about our process, not about the exam.

What this syllabus does not tell you — and we will not invent ↑

A syllabus defines scope and nothing else. Naming the gaps is more useful than filling them with a confident guess, so here is everything a candidate will want that this particular file does not answer.

For every one of these, the Commission's own website and the recruitment advertisement are the only sources worth trusting.

The exam date. This file is a syllabus, not a notification. It carries no date for the screening test, and no admit-card date.
The number of vacancies, the pay scale, the age limit, the fee and the educational qualification. All of those live in the recruitment advertisement, which is a separate APSC document.
Whether there is negative marking. The PDF never mentions it. Nobody can tell you the deduction from this file, and any site that prints one has taken it from somewhere else.
How many questions come from Paper-II, and how the 100 marks are split between the eleven groups. Neither figure appears.
Any qualifying or cut-off percentage, and whether Paper-I and Paper-II are qualifying separately or added together.
What happens after the screening test — whether there is an interview or a further written stage, and how much it counts.
A book list. A syllabus prescribes scope, not textbooks, and this one prescribes no reading at all.

Two things about this PDF that will confuse you if nobody says them ↑

First, the scope. Both memos say the same thing in the same words — this is the syllabus for the Screening test for the post of Assistant Geologist. No other post is named anywhere in the file, so this page covers Assistant Geologist and nothing else. The Commission lists its syllabus files one per post on its own archive page, apsc.nic.in › dr_syllabus_archive.php, and that is where this file itself is listed. If you are preparing for a different APSC post, your syllabus is a different file on that page — not this one.

Second, the file itself. It is a scan of a signed paper document, thirteen pages of page-images with no searchable text layer. Your PDF reader will find nothing when you use Ctrl+F on it, and any tool that extracts text from it will come back empty. We read it by rendering the pages and correcting the machine reading against the images by hand, which is why the spellings below are worth knowing: the PDF's own spelling is what you must search for, and the standard spelling is what you should study under.

As the PDF spells it	Standard spelling	Where it appears
LiDER	LiDAR	GROUP-C, thermal and microwave remote sensing entry
Promordial	Primordial	GROUP-F, radiogenic isotopes entry
Atterberg units	Atterberg limits	GROUP-F, engineering geology soil entry
Bieniswaki	Bieniawski	GROUP-F, rock mass classification entry
evaporates	evaporites	GROUP-G, sedimentary type ore deposits entry
Jurrasic	Jurassic	GROUP-I, Mesozoic formations entry
spleothems	speleothems	GROUP-C, Quaternary climate entry
dianoflagellate	dinoflagellate	GROUP-J, palynology entry

Important Links

View Syllabus / Notification Official Link Official Link Official Link

Official source: Official PDF ↗. Always confirm on the official website before acting on it.